Section 4- 1979-87 Flashcards
When did Thatcher come into power?
1979
When was the adoption of the monetarist policy?
1980
When was the Falklands war?
1982
When was Thatcher’s second election victory?
1983
When did Neil Kinnock become leader of Labour?
1983
When were the miner’s strikes?
1984
When was the IRA Brighton bombing?
1984
what were some key events in 1986?
Westland Affair
supply-side economics adopted
Single European act
What was Thatcher’s political ideology?
The New Right
What were Thatcher’s policies?
Free markets
Monetarism
Privatisation
Cuts in public spending
Cuts in taxes
Emphasising individuals
What was the nickname given to ministers who did not support Thatcher’s policies?
wets
What was the nickname given to ministers who did support Thatcher’s policies?
drys
what time period did labour lose 4 elections in a row?
1979-1992
who led the splits in labour?
Benn and Foot
Foot’s ideology?
Foot was a Bevanite who supported unilateral nuclear disarmament, and only narrowly beat Dennis Healey (centre-right), who became deputy leader
Benn’s ideology?
Tony Benn’s influence grew, despite losing as deputy leader, but he was hugely unpopular among moderates, over issues such as his opposition to EEC membership
What did left-wing labour believe in?
Trade Unions: Vital part of Labour movement, especially as it was crucial to origins
EEC: Only beneficial for employers, therefore Britain should leave
Nuclear Weapons: Unilateral disarmament - makes the world more dangerous
What did right-wing labour believe in?
trade unions: Too influential
EEC: Essential for Britain’s economic interests as well as peace in Europe
Nuclear Weapons: Threat of USSR significant – Britain should retain weapons
Who were the ‘gang of four’?
Roy Jenkins, former MP, Home Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer (leader of SDP)
David Owen, Labour MP, former Foreign Secretary
Bill Rogers, Labour MP, former Transport Secretary
Shirley Williams, former MP, former Secretary of State for Education
what did the gang of four create?
the social democratic party
why was the social democratic party created?
All had worked for the Wilson and Callaghan governments, but had become frustrated with the anti-EEC and pro-trade union nature of the party
Aimed to be radical but not socialist, and attract disaffected members of Labour and Conservative parties
1979- how many seats did thatcher win with?
43 seats- led to callaghan’s resignation
1983- how many seats did thatcher win with?
144
what helped Thatcher win the 1983 election
The Falklands
Foot’s unpopularity
1987-how many seats did thatcher win with?
100 seats
by 1980- what was inflation running at?
15%
by 1980 how many were unemployed?
2 million
what prevented a run on the pound and a balance of payments deficit?
North Sea gas and oil
what did the monetarist policy include?
decreasing government borrowing, cuts to council grants, and a benefits freeze
what was standard rate tax of income tax reduced by?
33% to 30%, and the higher rate from 83% to 60%
what was tax on unearned income reduced be?
98% to 75%
what was VAT increased by?
8%/12% to a flat rate of 15%
what did interest rates increase by?
jumping from 12% to 17% in 6 months
What did the 1986 local government act do?
introduced rate capping, limiting local taxes, expanded centralised powers by abolishing metropolitan local authorities
in 1979 how much did manufacturing bring into the country?
30% national income
employed 6.8 million people
which companies were privatised?
British airways
British telecom
British steel
British gas
British ship builders
what did privatisation lead to?
higher quality for less price
people lost jobs
what flotation did british gas recieve?
£5/6 million
what did share princes increase by?
50p-67p ending at 62 and 1/2p
by 1990 how many businesses had been privatised?
more than 40 businesses employing 600,000 workers
what flotation had british telecom recieved?
£4bn in 1984
what did chris huhne propose?
a market that gives to low-carbon forms of generation
what was thatcher’s saying
‘the lady is not for turning’
when did thatcher remove the fair wages act?
1982
what was the 1983 investigation?
the legality of Stock Exchange practices around minimum commissions, and its elite nature
what did the october big bang 1986 lead to?
removed fixed commission charges, distinction between broker/jobber, and the social class limitations
how much debt did thatcher pay off?
£360 million in 2 years
what did the inner cities decline lead to?
led to riots in major cities in 1980/1981 and 1985, including Handsworth
what did the Scarman report identify the issue as for the riots?
poverty and race
Who was the leader of NUM?
Arthur Scargill
what did Thatcher do to coal mines?
close those making no profit
what was the slogan created when Thatcher was closing down collieries?
‘close a pit, kill a community’
what was the ‘battle of Orgreave’ 1984?
a violent confrontation between strikers and officers, including the Metropolitan Police, at a British Steel Corporation (BSC) coking plant at Orgreave, in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England.
how many people died at the battle of orgreave?
323
why was the battle of orgreave controversial?
police fabricated evidence to gain more charges
what did Tebbit’s Trade Union act of 1984 do?
made wildcat strikes illegal
requirement of a ballot
not able to strike on company land
What was the employment act of 1980 do?
outlawed secondary picketing and limiting the closed shop
what did the employment act of 1982 do?
reduced the rights of trade unions and made strikes more difficult
what did thatcher term the political power of the trade unions?
‘undemocratic socialism’
Steal Strike 1980
government funded a pay rise after strike, but British Steel was forced to make redundancies due to increased costs.
Miner’s strike 1984/5
failed due to: lack of unity in the union and Labour; coal stocks at power stations; summertime; legislation.
The Wapping Dispute 1986/7
typesetters had become increasingly corrupt, so Rupert Murdoch led the move to new technology to avoid using them – no agreement was reached between management and unions, so a strike was called in January 1986, and redundancies were issued. The strike ended in February 1987.
what did the failed strikes lead to?
Unions were weakened by failed strikes and rising unemployment – membership fell by about 3 million
when was the poll tax introduced?
Introduced in Scotland 1989, England and Wales in 1990, but never in Northern Ireland
when was the right to buy introduced?
1980
said profit would fund more houses being built but they weren’t
what were the negative consequences of the ‘right to buy’?
not many houses for those who needed social housing
replacement rate less than 20%
not always safe for low income families to buy due to mortgage payments and repairs
what were the positve consequences of the ‘right to buy’?
tenants could get up to 70% off their house
social mobility
more than 107,000 properties were sold
people looked after their area when they own property
reduces social exclusion
who was the poll tax paid to?
local councils
when did thatcher make a promise to get rid of the rates?
1974
when were study groups set up to reform local government?
1984
what was the poll tax?
a flat rate that everyone paid regardless of income and property value
how many authorities found the new tax to be higher than estimated?
9 out 11
how many people in Scotland refused to pay?
15%
how many Scots joined the demonstrated against the poll tax
15,000
how much was the poll tax?
£363
what were the political consequences of the poll tax?
Thatcher lost MP loyalty
1990- 100,000 people protested in Trofolga square
Hessletine released an article stating Thatcher did not listen
how many people refused to pay the poll tax?
50% of people in some areas
4 months after it launched 1/5 adults had not paid
what was section 28
part of the local government act 1988
censored schoolbooks and national curriculum and teachers could be fired for discussing LGBTQ+
local council “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality”
what did the British survey 1987 say about peoples opinion on gay
3/4 said it was “wrong”
11% it wasnt
what was labour’s response to section 28
adopted a resolution to criminalise discrimination at its 1985 annual conference
what was public response to section 28
1988 lesbian activists stormed BBC studios
gay protests and marches
when was the march for jobs?
1981
unemployment had reached 2.5 millio
150,000 attended
what was the response for the march of jobs?
1981- TUC organised jobs for youth campaign
when was greenham common?
1981
what was greenham common
4 women marched 120 miles from west wales for greenham common in protest of nuclear weapons
when did the issues with the Falklands begin?
1981
who were britain fighting over the falklands with?
argentina
when did argentina take back the falklands?
1981
what was Thatcher’s response to argentina taking back the# falklands?
declared an exclusion zone around the islands and organised a task force of 100 ships and over 600 soliders
what did Raegan request Thatcher do with the falklands
let argentina have it- thatcher refused
US supplied britain with weapons
when did a british submarine sink and argentian cruiser- general balgrano
1982- 323 killed
who were the british navy facing?
argentinian air force
how long was the battle for goose green?
14 hours
how many argentians surrendered?
over 900
how many brits were killed and injured during the falklands war?
255 killed
775 injured
why were Thatcher and Reagan so supportive of each other?
they were politically aligned
what did Britain do after thatcher and Raegan agreed the west should be armed with nuclear weapons?
bought, at an initial cost of £10 billion, Trident missiles to replace the obsolete Polaris variety.
when did Britain agree to allow the USA to install its Cruise missiles at the US air force base at Greenham Common and what did it lead to?
- This led to a resurgence of the CND movement in Britain.
when did Thatcher give permission for the USA to use British air bases to bomb Libya?
1986
what partially damaged the special relationship?
1983, The USA invaded the Commonwealth state of Grenada in the Caribbean after a Communist coup.
Thatcher was only made aware of the invasion a matter of hours before it began
by 1990 was Thatcher popular?
she was more popular abroad than in Britain
what nickname was given to thatcher?
the iron lady- dude to her strong stance against communism
Thatcher and the east
she made several visits to the Eastern Bloc, including Poland, Hungary and the USSR.- she became a symbol of freedom
what did Poland do to honour Thatcher?
chapels and shrines were dedicated to her
what was ‘Solidarity’ in poland?
the Polish trade union movement led by Lech Walesa- thatcher openly supported it
what was British opinion of thatcher supporting solidarity?
confused as to how she could be pro-trade unions abroad but anti-trade unions in Britain
what were the 3 pillar’s that thatcher’s contribution to ending the cold war were based on?
Her combative style and determination to confront the Soviet Union in the early 1980s
Her willingness to negotiate with the new reformist leader, Mikhail Gorbachev from 1985
Britain’s ‘special relationship’ with the USA
who was Gorbachev?
new leader of the USSR
30 years younger than predecessor
promoted openness, modernisation and restructuring
what did thatcher do in regard to Gorbachev and Raegan in 1986?
Thatcher encouraged Reagan to negotiate with Gorbachev and at the Reykjavik summit in 1986, both men realised compromises could be reached
Thatcher and the EEC
did not like the unelected
security control
anti-single currency
did not want to loose sovereignty
when was british rebate?
1984
what did Howe do in relation to Fontainebleau
made notes for the FCO files
Bruges speech
1988
how much money did Thatcher get back at Fontainebleau?
65-66%
how much had thatcher hoped for at Fontainebleau?
90% but was shut down by Mitterrand and Kohl
